Yellow Bullhead – Streams, ponds and reservoirs statewide. This small catfish, which rarely grows to a foot long, spawns in early summer. It feeds on aquatic insects, crustaceans and fish. It is distinguished from the other two bullheads by its white “barbels” (chin whiskers). Like other catfish, it uses its highly developed sense of smell to find food as it feeds at night. Sometimes mistakenly stocked as channel catfish, bullheads quickly overpopulate a pond and crowd out desirable species. Bullheads generally are thought to have a strong, unpleasant flavor and are not considered high quality table fare. Their flavor may be associated with the type of water they live in and the food available.
Flathead – Lakes and streams statewide. This mottled, camouflaged catfish prefers to hide on the bottom, on logs and among rocks to ambush its prey, usually crayfish and fish. It is an aggressive predator that often reaches 60 pounds in Arkansas. It feeds primarily at night. Spawning begins in late June. Unlike other catfish, flatheads rarely bite bait that is not alive. All 19 catfish species in Arkansas have sharp spines that can inflict painful wounds. Most have highly developed senses of smell and taste that help them find food and other catfish and avoid predators.
Channel – Most common of the freshwater catfish and can be easily identified because of their distinctive forked tails and dark spots scattered around the body. These fish are generally more slender and have a smaller heads than other catfish. Of course, channel catfish have the characteristic long barbels, commonly called feelers or whiskers, around the mouth that help them to locate food. The anal fin consists of 24 to 29 rays, further distinguishing it from other catfish. Channel catfish come in many color variations with color depending on location and environmental conditions. One common coloring is gray or grayish brown on top with dark brown and/or dark green dorsal fins. Others include pale blue and pale olive with a slightly silver tint. Side colors range from yellows to greens to white and there are even albino channel catfish that are white or cream colored with pink eyes. During spawning season, the dorsal area of the male may become completely black, dark blue, light blue, or silver. Channel catfish seem to have unlimited growth potential and have been known to grow to more than 50 pounds. Their size range is smaller than the blue or flathead catfish, but their populations are greater.
Brown Bullhead – Smooth-skinned catfish with a mottled, brownish body and whisker-like barbels around the mouth. It lives in slow-moving ponds, streams and rivers. The brown bullhead grows to about one foot long, but can be as long as 20 inches. Its olive or yellowish-brown body is mottled with brown or black. It has a yellowish-white belly. It is smooth-skinned with a broad, flat head and four pairs of dark, whisker-like barbels around its mouth. Sharp spines appear on its dorsal and pectoral fits, and its tail fin is squared.
Often confused with the channel catfish, the blue catfish is a large, smooth-skinned fish with a slate blue body and whisker-like barbels around its mouth. It was introduced to the region in the 1970s, and is now considered an invasive species. The blue catfish is a long fish with a flat anal fin and deeply forked tail. Its smooth skin lacks scales. It has a slade blue body with a silver-white belly. Four pairs of black, whisker-like barbels appear around its mouth. Adults usually grow to be less than two feet long, but can be as long as five feet and weigh more than 100 pounds.
Black Bullheads are in the catfish family and can be distinguished from Channel Catfish by their squared tail fins. Channel Catfish have distinctly forked tails. Black Bullheads have a very broad head with pigmented barbells. Of the six barbells, the two outermost are quite long and the four under the mouth are about the same size and in a line. Two nostril whiskers point upward and look rather like horns. The color ranges from dark brown to black on top to yellow and white on the belly. The color is never mottled in appearance as brown bullheads are. The dorsal fin is fairly long, but not very deep. There is a small adipose fin. The caudal (tail) fin has rounded corners but comes straight down to give it the squared appearance and has 15 to 18 rays. The anal fin has 19 to 25 rays so is pretty decent size.
